00:00House Republicans are digging into the use of taxpayer funds at the Department of Homeland
00:04Security, like the $220 million spent on ads featuring the now former Secretary Kristi Noem.
00:10Her de facto chief of staff and rumored lover Corey Lewandowski is a focus as well,
00:15specifically claims that he overstepped the boundaries of his role as a special government
00:19employee. House Homeland Security Chairman Andrew Garbarino told The Post his committee
00:24has been digging, and he said, quote, I think Corey had his hands in a lot and probably should not
00:31have. We are looking into a lot of contracts. That's certainly one way of putting it. Remember,
00:36Lewandowski is also dealing with those rumors that he and his DHS boss Kristi Noem's relationship was
00:42more than just professional. Then there's the House Judiciary Committee. Chairman Jim Jordan
00:48speaking about that $220 million advertising push that got Noem and by association Lewandowski
00:54in hot water with President Trump said, quote, it sounds like the president's concerned. So,
01:00you know, we certainly are as well. And we'll take a look at it. The investigations follow a post
01:04exclusive that unearthed some cringy claims from Lewandowski's DHS colleagues. The top aide and
01:11alleged whatever of the former Homeland Security Secretary apparently bragged he could do whatever
01:17he wanted at DHS. And if he ran afoul of the law, the president would come to his rescue.
01:21A source told the Post that Lewandowski made the following remark during a discussion about
01:26official actions. Quote, I'm not worried. I do whatever the F I want. DJT will pardon me.
01:34He must have been a delight around the water cooler there. Multiple other sources confirmed
01:40similar tales. And with all that in mind, we asked the man himself. And he said, quote,
01:45quote, never said that, never asked for a pardon, and have no reason to receive one.
01:51Texas Senator John Cornyn is arguing that passing the SAVE Act, which requires proof of citizenship to
01:56vote, is more important than the sanctity of the Senate filibuster. Now, the filibuster requires 60
02:02votes to pass as a bill, ensuring broader support for a law than just a simple majority. In theory,
02:07it's meant to stop radical changes to the law by requiring at least some agreement on both sides
02:13of the political aisle. In an op-ed for our very own New York Post, Cornyn says it's time to
02:19end
02:19the practice. He writes, quote, after careful consideration, I support whatever changes to
02:24Senate rules that may prove necessary for us to get the SAVE America Act and Homeland Security
02:29funding past the Democrats' obstruction through the Senate and on the president's desk for his
02:33signature. Now, Cornyn goes on to write that filibuster reform could mean a talking filibuster
02:39that, in his words, removes the obstructionist's free pass and makes them defend their indefensible
02:45views on the Senate floor. Now, Cornyn's change of heart comes as he believes Democrats would nuke
02:50the filibuster the next time they're in power. That was enough to make him support the move.
02:54So what would eliminating the filibuster really mean? And what is Cornyn's political calculus?
03:00Here's The Post's political reporter, Ryan King.
03:03Most big legislation that goes through the Senate has to be bipartisan to overcome the
03:08filibuster. So this would open up the floodgates to all sorts of legislation on things like election
03:14law, abortion policy, immigration, and more that typically would be dead in the Senate.
03:21And basically, if the filibuster were gone, the minority party would have a lot less leverage.
03:27Now, it's important to note the context of, we mentioned Cornyn earlier,
03:33coming out in favor of weakening the filibuster. He's facing a really tough primary in Texas and
03:38needs President Trump's endorsement. And Trump has been pushing Republicans in the Senate to weaken
03:44the filibuster so that he can get the Save America Act through the Senate. And there's been a big pressure
03:50campaign from conservative influencers on Republican senators to weaken the filibuster.
03:56But right now, Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said that Republicans simply don't have
04:01the votes for that. And there are a lot of concerns among Republican senators, particularly ones who have
04:07been in the Senate for a long time, that if they were to take away the filibuster or weaken it,
04:13that'll come back to bite them in the future if Democrats were to take over the Senate again.
04:19Faulty U.S. targeting intelligence is to blame for the tragic missile strike that killed 175
04:24civilians in Iran, mostly schoolchildren and teachers. That's the finding of a preliminary
04:29military investigation into the incident. U.S. officials told The New York Times they're placing
04:34the blame on outdated data provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency. The strike, which occurred on
04:39the first day of Operation Epic Fury, was actually targeting an Iranian military base next to the
04:44school. The two structures were located very close by. At one time, the school building was
04:48actually a part of the base. Now, asked for reaction, White House Press Secretary Caroline
04:53Levitt said in a statement, quote, as The New York Times acknowledges in its own reporting,
04:57the investigation is still ongoing. But you may remember the president was asked about the strike
05:01earlier in the week and said this.
05:03I just don't know enough about it. I think it's something that I was told is under investigation.
05:09But tomahawks are are used by others, as you know. Numerous other nations have tomahawks. They buy them
05:16from us. But I will certainly whatever the report shows, I'm willing to live with that report.
05:23For more on these stories and everything else you could possibly want to know, check out The New York Post
05:28podcast in print or online. And don't forget, like and subscribe to The New York Postcast,
05:32wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. I promise you'll be glad you did.
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